Over a 20 year period, a unique approach to redevelopment has transformed Lowertown, a nearly defunct warehouse district perched on the edge of downtown St. Paul, into a diverse, vibrant, mixed use urban village with thriving art studios, entertainment, employment, parks and walk-to-work housing.The vision of an "urban village" was implemented through an effective public/private partnership, involving public agencies, private lenders, foundations, neighborhood organizations, the artist community, business associations and many other organizations. Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation (LRC), as the catalyst for the revitalization, has been engaged in three types of activities since its founding: a) as a design center, envisioning a new future for this historic district; b) as a gap financier, providing crucial gap financing for projects; c) as a marketing office working with investors, residents, and business persons in marketing the area. Above all, our program stresses 1) incremental sensitive rehabilitation, rather than large-scale, destructive urban renewal; 2) self-reliance, rather than over-dependence upon public subsidies, 3) maximum leveraging of private investment. The Lowertown project was envisioned, not as a short-term "fix" for a declining neighborhood, but as a long-term approach to recreating a vital, dynamic, economically viable, and desirable new urban neighborhood. As such, the program is ongoing, and anticipated to continue well into the 21st Century.